In the prior art, there are communications systems for supplying video, audio and data to affiliated receivers in a network for broadcast or display.
These known systems usually comprise some form of addressing to identify the destination, i.e. receiver, for the video, audio or data transmission. The addressing scheme produces a single to multi-point network in which communication is provided between a transmitter and one or more receivers.
These known systems have drawbacks. By its very nature, the addressing scheme requires that the transmitter must know the addresses of all the receivers. This implies that the transmitter must have considerable intelligence or processing power. In addition, each receiver must also include sufficient processing power to identify and decode transmissions which are addressed to it. Furthermore, the capacity of the systems is dependent on the addressing scheme. Each additional receiver will be seen by the transmitter as an additional address which must be serviced.
Certain systems are also known which do not require addressing. In particular, EP, A, O 190 837 (THORN EMI FERGUSON LTD.) published Aug. 13, 1986 discloses a teletext display system in which, to reduce storage capacity and to speed updating, each teletext page contains an identification or ID code, and each receiver has a local interest list which is created based on those pages which are selected most frequently by the user. If a page with an ID on the interest list is received, it is stored so that it can be more rapidly displayed. The pages of interest are then displayed on user request.
Similarly, CH, A, 665 516 (MARCEL MULLER) granted May 13, 1988 discloses a system in which no addressing is required, but rather in which each transmitter transmits a data sequence (e.g. weather reports) from various regions, each report having an ID associated with it. Each receiver can store only a small part of the data stream and chooses reports to store by a local interest list entered by the user on its own keyboard. Stored objects are displayed on request by the user.
Neither of these systems discloses an automated communication system in which a central transmitter can transmit objects to a plurality of receivers, without the need for point-to-point addressing, and in which each receiver can select objects and then automatically retransmit them at desired times and in a desired sequence (usually for display on a customer's television set or the like).